


Poco a Poco

by Vesperbat



Category: Kyou Kara Maou!
Genre: Fluff, Internalized Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 08:40:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17639483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vesperbat/pseuds/Vesperbat
Summary: With a ball fast approaching, Wolfram ropes Yuuri into a late night dance lesson. Yuuri hopes that dancing will be easier in private, but being alone with his princely, pajama-clad fiance presents its own difficulties.





	Poco a Poco

**Author's Note:**

> About the "internalized homophobia" tag: I interpret Yuuri's canon focus on default straightness as internalized homophobia and difficulty in coming to terms with his sexuality. This fic touches on that and on his difficulty adjusting to a society in which same gender romance happens openly. It's still pretty fluffy, though.

"Yuuri,” called Wolfram, setting his brush down and rising from Yuuri's night stand. "Did we leave that correspondence in the library? I wanted to go over it with you one more time." He clearly wasn't convinced that Yuuri absorbed the social implications of the latest ball invitation the first time he explained them.

It was not an incorrect assumption. Giving in, Yuuri patted his pajama pockets. "I guess we did, so… woah!” As Wolfram started for the door, Yuuri turned to do the same, colliding with him head-on. His hand shot out instinctively, clutching Wolfram’s shoulder. “Careful!”

For a moment, they remained exactly where they were, sheer awkwardness freezing Yuuri to the spot. Wolfram’s silken nightgown was slick and cool to the touch, warming slowly beneath his fingers.

Wolfram turned his head and studied the hand perched on his shoulder. "You know," he said, "something occurs to me: you and I have never danced. Not even once."

Yuuri’s pulse began to quicken. "Well, you weren’t up to it the last time we had an opportunity. Remember?"

Wolfram frowned. “Of course I remember. I was terribly ill, and you ran off and had your fun without me.”

Fun was not how Yuuri would have described any part of that night, but he let it slide. Wolfram had been expected to raise a sword in Yuuri’s defense after a full day of seasickness, so he probably didn’t need to be reminded. Then there was the bone incident, which Yuuri couldn’t actually remember. Wolfram did not discuss the bone incident.

No one discussed the bone incident.

“Oh, well,” Wolfram continued. “It's alright now. I know you don't mean to be so faithless. Next time, I fully intend to have my turn."

Yuuri swallowed. "But, that is, dancing with you... in public…”

Wolfram waited for a moment, blinking. When Yuuri didn’t continue, he said, “What about it?”

“The… two of us?”

Wolfram exhaled, massaging his temple. “We’re going to a ball, Yuuri. A ball. Why wouldn’t you dance with me?” His soft lips took on the familiar shape of a pout.  “What kind of person takes his fiance to a ball and then ignores him?”

Of course. That was how it was here, wasn’t it? If he just kept telling himself that no one here would care, maybe… Yuuri sighed. “I’m still not any good at dancing.”

Wolfram took a step back and planted his hands on his hips. "Which is why you should be practicing! Now! Tonight! Do you think you'll be able to impress anyone if you show up with two left feet? There's no way I'd let you embarrass me like that."

"Fine," said Yuuri, waving a hand. A flag of surrender. "We can practice."

Wolfram beamed, just for a second, and his smile tugged at Yuuri's heart. Maybe surrender had been the right decision. At least they were alone right now, and it did sound more fun than yet another lecture on names and history and etiquette.

"I'll lead," Wolfram said, in a tone that left no room for argument. “Put your hand back on my shoulder. Reach a little further this time… there, yes.” Wolfram took Yuuri’s other hand and wrapped an arm around his waist, drawing them close together.

Yuuri's brows shot up. "A slow dance?"

"I find it appropriate," said Wolfram, and Yuuri's face began to heat, but Wolfram continued, "You are very slow."

Yuuri snorted. "Here I am, holding you tight, and all you can do is insult me! How's that for romance?"

"Not tight enough!" snapped Wolfram, but he was blushing now, too. Mission accomplished.

Before Yuuri could chastise him any further, Wolfram launched into the lesson. “You need to lean in a little. Stand more to the right of me. And your arm should- don’t actually hang on so tightly, or we won’t be able to move.”

“Yes, your highness,” said Yuuri, smiling a little. This was Wolfram in his element, issuing commands, directing the flow of events. Yuuri was the king here, but he would never be half as good as this.

Wolfram only rolled his eyes. “Don’t address me like that in public. You’ll demean your own authority.”

Once Yuuri corrected the issues to Wolfram’s satisfaction, he began to count time and lead Yuuri in small, unambitious circles. Yuuri did his best to follow along, but each misstep made him tense up all the more in anticipation of the next.

“Yuuri!” scolded Wolfram. “You’re much too rigid right now. You need to relax.”

Yuuri groaned. “How am I supposed to relax when you’re so close to me?”

“I suppose it can’t be helped, although I don’t know why I'm the one making you nervous. You’re... stop, your legs are far too wide.” Wolfram paused, pulling back to demonstrate proper foot placement, though he held fast to Yuuri’s hand.

Glaring down at his own disobedient feet, Yuuri attempted to copy Wolfram’s stance. “Like this?”

Wolfram appraised him, taking in the length of his body. “Better.” He paused. “You’re beautiful, Yuuri.”

Yuuri’s face burned. “Not this again. You’ve told me, Wolf. I still don’t get it.”

“I tell you because it’s the truth! You’re just too stubborn to accept it,” Wolfram sniffed.

Yuuri was dancing with a beautiful, spoiled prince, a vision from a dream. Why was he the beautiful one? Not that he wanted Wolfram to think he was unattractive. Whatever obligation Wolfram felt to this betrothal, at least he didn’t have to feel it for a guy he didn’t like looking at. It just annoyed him. Wolfram was usually so perceptive.

Yuuri pulled him in close again and frowned, scrutinizing his face: long lashes, deep eyes, delicate lips. “I don’t know how it is here, but if you went to Japan, I bet you’d nab a girlfriend in an instant.”

Wolfram came easily into his arms. At first he only gazed back at Yuuri, eyes wide. Just as Yuuri was beginning to panic, Wolfram’s brow creased. “Why would I want one? I already have you.”

“Sure, but…” Yuuri shrugged, irritation dissipating. It wasn’t like Yuuri wanted him to run out and find a girlfriend, either. He’d gotten used to having him around. “I’m just saying, you have it pretty good.”

“Maybe. You’re lucky, honestly,” said Wolfram, playing with the collar of Yuuri’s pajama shirt. “I’ve never lacked suitors, but once I make a decision, I don’t let my eyes wander. Unlike some people.”

Yuuri felt the invisible arrow in Wolfram’s words and hunched his shoulders. “There were a lot of misunderstandings.”  
  
Wolfram patted Yuuri’s back. “I told you, it’s alright. I forgive you. I’ve accepted you as my fiance, after all.”

Yuuri wanted to argue more. Even if he wasn’t taking their engagement all that seriously, it was just a point of honor. He wasn’t a cheater. He opened his mouth, but Wolfram slid his hand up to Yuuri’s shoulder blade, and he could only manage to say, “Um…”  
  
“You try leading now,” Wolfram said, taking Yuuri’s hand again. “You’ll definitely need to learn.”  
  
Yuuri jumped. “Leading. Sure. I can do that.” And then he stood right where he was, desperately trying to summon up any scrap of knowledge that would help him in this endeavor. For some reason, he could only recall Wolfram’s fingertips brushing lightly over his back.

Wolfram waited. He sighed. “Hand on my waist?”  
  
“Right!” Yuuri reached out, hesitated, and let his hand barely touch, wary of the thin layer of fabric separating his skin from Wolfram’s. He had sort of gotten the steps down. Now he just needed to do them in reverse. Backward, then forward… backward, forward… if he could just shut out all his thoughts but these...

“Ouch!”  
  
Yuuri jerked to a stop. Through all of Yuuri’s blundering, Wolfram had never once stepped on his feet. Yuuri lasted two minutes, tops. “Sorry, sorry, sorry,” he said. “I- I lost track of where we were.”

“Clearly.” Wolfram lifted his foot and rubbed it. “I don’t know where your mind is right now. It’s definitely not here.”

“Hey!” said Yuuri, feeling stung. “I was actually concentrating really hard just then.”

Wolfram nodded slowly. “That may be part of your problem. You shouldn’t think too much, either, or you’ll only tense yourself up again. To a degree, you should just… feel things.”  
  
Oh, he was feeling things, alright. The more he felt them, the more distracted he was going to get. If this was the best he could do, in the privacy of his own bedroom, what was going to happen when they were in a room full of eyes? His shoulders slumped. “I think it’s impossible for me. At this rate, there’s no way I won’t embarrass us.”

“Come on,” said Wolfram, rubbing Yuuri’s back again. “I know you’re kind of hopeless, but are you going to let a single failure defeat you? Are you really that much of a wimp?”  
  
“Don’t call me a wimp,” said Yuuri, though without much enthusiasm. Wolfram was trying to help, in his own way.

“When you learned baseball, did you give up the first time you couldn’t…” Wolfram tapped his lips, glancing downward. “Play the ball?”  
  
Startled, Yuuri choked down a burst of laughter. Someday he’d get his revenge for all this by making Wolfram learn to “play the ball.” But, inelegantly as he stated it, Wolfram had a point. “I guess not,” Yuuri said. “Someone taught me to not to be afraid.”

“Then don’t be,” said Wolfram, and maybe it really was that simple. “Here. I’ll count for you.”

There were a few stumbles, but with Wolfram counting out the steps, Yuuri was almost able to follow the rhythm. As they turned, Wolfram’s nightgown flared, and Yuuri had to grin. They must look ridiculous right now: two boys dancing in their pajamas, one well-trained, one nearly as unskilled as it was possible to be, always just a little out of sync.

Right now, it didn’t matter. The only person here was Wolfram, and he looked as beautiful in his pajamas as he ever did. Maybe more.

It was in the midst of this thought that the backs of Yuuri’s knees connected with the bed. Before he could react, he was on his back, Wolfram toppling down on top of him. Yuuri stared at the ceiling, consumed with silent mortification for the second time in one evening. They were going for a record, it seemed.

Wolfram propped himself up on his elbows. “That was either very bold or very clumsy.”

Yuuri closed his eyes. “I am anything but bold.”

“I don’t know about that. Though... you could be bolder.” Wolfram brushed the hair out of Yuuri’s face.

Yuuri closed his eyes. “Not yet.”

Not… yet? Was there a future in which he could be bold in the ways Wolfram wanted him to be? That was news to Yuuri.

Not yet. Not now. But maybe not… never.

“I know,” said Wolfram, resting his head on Yuuri’s chest. “But I wouldn't mind.”

Yuuri knew that, too. For a few minutes, he let Wolfram stay like that. When he didn’t say anything else, Yuuri ruffled his soft, soft hair. “Hey. Come on. You can’t sleep there.”

Wolfram groaned, refusing to stir.

“If you do, I’m going to wake up thinking I’m being ambushed by dolphins again,” said Yuuri, squeezing his shoulder.

With another groan, Wolfram rolled off him. Shaking his head, he said, “You have the strangest fears.”

Maybe he did. Still… for now…

“Not a great spot, anyway,” said Yuuri, scooting to the head of the bed and folding back the covers. “Come up here.”

Not that Wolfram needed the invitation. He planted his face into the pillow, and Yuuri wrangled the blanket around them both. He allowed himself the liberty of smoothing down the hair he had tousled, and Wolfram exhaled, content.

For now, this was a rhythm Yuuri knew how to keep.


End file.
